At 2:07 AM -0700 6/5/00, Sjamsir Sjarif wrote:
>Iko barito dariu Reuters. Disalin tanpa izin untuk keparluan basamo.
>-- SS
Iko barito kaduo dri reuters.
-- SS
World Headlines
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Monday June 5 6:45 AM ET
Indonesia Quake Kills 58, Toll Likely to Rise
By Tomi Soetjipto
JAKARTA (Reuters) -
A powerful earthquake and numerous
aftershocks rocked
the Indonesian island of Sumatra overnight,
killing 58 people,
injuring hundreds and causing widespread
panic, officials and
local media said on Monday.
Police in Bengkulu
province on Sumatra's west coast, the worst
affected area, said the death toll was likely to rise considering the
magnitude of the
earthquake, one of the strongest recorded in the world in the past decade.
The quake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and struck late on Sunday when
most people
were asleep. It toppled buildings, cut electricity and water supplies,
closed Bengkulu city
airport and was felt as far away as Jakarta and Singapore.
``So far we have received a report of 58 people dead and more than 200
people injured
from the whole of the province,'' Sergeant Edy Somes told Reuters from
Bengkulu town.
``But the death toll is likely to be higher because we have not been able
to contact the
worst-hit area, which is the South Bengkulu district,'' he said.
One local
journalist quoted shipping officials who said
most
houses on Enggano island, which lies close to the
earthquake's epicenter and is home to 1,500 people, had
been
flattened.
Bengkulu
governor Hasan Zein told state television that 90
percent of Enggano had been damaged. He did elaborate.
Telephone lines to Enggano and other remote parts of the province have
been severed.
Patients Refuse To Be Treated Indoors
The Antara news agency said three hospitals in Bengkulu town had been
swamped with
victims.
Doctors were struggling to treat hundreds of injured in hospital corridors
and parking
lots as most patients refused to stay indoors, fearing aftershocks would
bring down
walls.
``It was very panicky. People were running everywhere and screaming
``Allahu Akbar'' (God
is Great) after the quake hit us,'' said one resident, who gave her name
as Desy.
She said the city was plunged into further misery when heavy rains broke
soon after the
quake. Residents have erected tents in Bengkulu town and were expected to
spend Monday
night outdoors.
Bengkulu province is relatively lightly populated by Indonesian standards,
with about 1.4
million people in total. More than 260,000 people live in Bengkulu town.
While Sumatra is a vital source of commodities such as palm oil, coffee
and rubber,
Bengkulu province plays only a limited role in such trade. It is not a big
tourist
destination.
The initial quake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter 112
km (70 miles)
from Bengkulu off the west coast of Sumatra, the U.S. Geological Survey
said. Indonesia's
Meteorology and Geophysics Agency measured it at 7.3 on the Richter scale.
Officials said a quake of such a magnitude could leave numerous
casualties. Doctors were
already grappling with a lack of medical supplies and blood, Antara said.
``We have been told to expect more victims,'' one official at Bengkulu's
Rafflesia Hospital
said.
Rescue Efforts Hampered
Many buildings in Bengkulu town had been damaged, including the provincial
governor's
office and the local parliament.
Officials said the earthquake had also damaged communications at the city
airport,
forcing it to close. Flights would probably be canceled until Thursday,
they said.
``We have few details about the impact because the quake has cut most
communications in
the province. The army has sent rescue teams to various areas,'' one
police officer said
earlier.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by the lack of electricity, which had
been knocked
out by the quake. Water supplies had also been cut and public transport
disrupted.
The quake hit at 11:28 p.m. local time (1628 GMT) on Sunday.
Tremors were felt as far away as Indonesia's capital Jakarta, 536 km (335
miles) to the
southeast of the epicenter, where some residents fled tall buildings when
the earthquake
hit.
Hundreds of Singapore residents fled their apartments after feeling the
tremors.
Indonesia's far-flung islands are regularly hit by earthquakes. At least
34 people died
last month when an earthquake measuring 6.5 hit central Sulawesi and some
neighboring
islands.
The worst earthquake to hit Indonesia in the last decade was in December
1992, when
tremors and a tidal wave killed 2,200 people in a string of eastern islands.
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